ALPHA, Mich. (WLUC) – For six years, Alpha Michigan Brewing Company has been crafting house-made brews. The brewery celebrated its anniversary with the community Saturday. Family and friends drank beer on tap over food truck meals.

They served new swag and will showcase new beers every Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Live music will play on Sunday with a local group.

The brewery’s owner said people wondered why he opened up shop in Alpha.

“You’re gonna have a customer base of 120 people,” said owner Mike Bjork. “Who’s gonna come? And we told them half the time, hey, if you make good beer, they will come.”

Bjork said they brew with a purpose by giving back to the community. About $120,000 was raised through fundraisers over the last six years. The owner hopes to build a building just for brewing in the future.

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Michigan State football, once a powerhouse in the college football landscape, has declined in recent years, losing its touch and struggling to reclaim its former glory. The team, known for its gritty play and competitive spirit, has faced numerous challenges on and off the field that have contributed to its downfall.

One of the key factors in Michigan State’s decline has been the departure of longtime head coach Mark Dantonio. Dantonio, who led the Spartans for 13 seasons, was instrumental in building the program into a national contender. Under his leadership, Michigan State achieved unprecedented success, including multiple Big Ten championships and a berth in the College Football Playoff.

However, since Dantonio’s departure, the Spartans have struggled to find stability at the head coaching position. A series of coaching changes and transitions have disrupted the team’s momentum and hindered its ability to compete at a high level consistently.

Additionally, Michigan State has faced challenges in recruiting top talent and developing players to their full potential. In a highly competitive recruiting landscape, the Spartans have struggled to attract the caliber of players needed to compete with the elite programs in college football.

The decline of Michigan State football was perhaps most evident in the last season they made it to the playoffs, which was the 2015 season. That year, under Dantonio’s leadership, the Spartans finished with a record of 12-2 and claimed the Big Ten Championship. Their playoff journey began with a thrilling victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game, securing their spot in the College Football Playoff.

In the playoff semifinals, Michigan State faced off against the Alabama Crimson Tide, a perennial powerhouse in college football. Despite putting up a valiant effort, the Spartans were ultimately overmatched and fell to the Crimson Tide by a score of 38-0.

Although the playoff appearance was a testament to the team’s talent and resilience, it also marked the peak of Michigan State’s recent success. Since then, the program has struggled to maintain its competitive edge and has fallen short of returning to the national spotlight.

To regain its touch and compete at the highest level again, Michigan State football must improve recruiting efforts and commit to developing players both on and off the field. Only then can the Spartans hope to reclaim their former glory and return to prominence in college football.

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.

More than seven months after the expiration of $24 billion in federal funds that buoyed our country’s childcare sector during the pandemic, newly analyzed census data has underscored the critical need for stronger state-level investments in childcare to support struggling families and providers.

While at least 11 states and the District of Columbia have stepped in to provide significant new state funding for childcare in the aftermath of last fall’s funding cliff, Michigan is not counted among them. Families have fared far worse in states like Michigan that have not stepped in to provide this critical support, according to a new analysis by the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) of Census Household Pulse Survey data.

Two Michigan lawmakers attend White House summit on childcare

NWLC’s analysis of the survey data found that the share of responding households with children under the age of 12 that reported a lack of childcare over the past four weeks jumped from 17.8% to 23.1% from fall 2023 to spring 2024 in the states without significant, additional investments in childcare. 

Here in Michigan, the share of responding households with children under 12 that reported childcare arrangement issues over the past four weeks climbed from 19.6% to 22.3% — a 14% increase — in that same time frame. By comparison, there was a smaller, not statistically significant increase in a lack of childcare in the states with stronger investments.

Additionally, among the Michigan households reporting childcare issues in the spring survey, 36% have cut work hours, 34% have taken unpaid leave, 31% have had to supervise their children while working and 26% have left a job as a result of childcare disruptions. Meanwhile, the NWLC’s analysis shows that the share of women respondents who wanted to work, but couldn’t because they were caring for a young child went down in the states providing significant new childcare funding, dropping from 45.3% to 31.9%. 

While another childcare funding cliff is looming, with more federal funding set to expire in September 2024, and affordable, high-quality childcare is still out of reach for far too many Michiganders, there are some exciting opportunities in the state budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2025 that would go a long way in helping to strengthen Michigan’s childcare sector. 

These include increased childcare subsidy reimbursement rates for providers, provider start-up/stabilization grants and a pilot that would allow childcare workers to be automatically eligible for childcare subsidies. Budget conversations are ongoing, but these are all promising proposed investments that the Michigan League for Public Policy and our partners support.

We can also ensure more families are able to access affordable, high-quality childcare by waiving family contributions for childcare subsidies and providing presumptive eligibility for families applying for childcare subsidies while their application is pending. Investing in efforts to improve childcare workforce recruitment and retention would also help to stabilize Michigan’s childcare system, while addressing the low wages that childcare workers receive. 

These workers are integral to nurturing, protecting and caring for Michigan’s babies and kids and yet they are among the lowest paid workers in the state, earning a median wage of less than $14 an hour (about $28,870 annually).

This matters for all of us. By one estimate, Michigan is losing out on an estimated $2.88 billion in annual economic activity, including $576 million in direct revenue impact, as a result of inaccessible, unaffordable childcare. Making childcare more affordable for families and ensuring providers have stable incomes will help parents remain in the workforce, benefiting our state’s economy, while also helping to bring down Michigan’s child poverty rate and provide our earliest learners with access to high-quality care.

In the face of federal inaction, investing additional state dollars in childcare is a smart, commonsense choice for Michigan. It would result in better outcomes for families and workers, brighter futures for our state’s kids and a stronger state for everyone.