Copyright M Live Michigan
BAY CITY, MI – Hello! My name is Nick Taylor, and I’m a reporter with MLive and The Bay City Times. I’ll be covering news in Bay County and contributing to MLive’s Hello, Bay City newsletter for the next several weeks as Bay City reporter Joey Oliver cares for his son, Harrington Welles Oliver, who was born Oct. 21. I was born and raised in Indiana, and in 2021, I graduated from Butler University in Indianapolis, which is just a short drive from where I grew up. I joined the MLive team a little more than a year ago, and since then, I have covered a wide range of news, focusing primarily on local government, business and education. Before joining MLive, I worked for about two years as a general assignment reporter for a small, local newspaper in southeastern Illinois, the Effingham Daily News. I began my career with MLive covering the Flint area, and I began shifting the focus of my coverage to Saginaw and Bay counties this summer. My recent reporting in the Bay City area includes stories on the formation of a coalition working to ensure that residents in Bay and Arenac counties who are dependent on food assistance programs such as SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) don’t go hungry during the ongoing federal government shutdown. I also recently wrote a story about the expansion of the Renue Physical Therapy clinic at the Dow Bay Area YMCA and the ground-breaking ceremony for the new McLaren Bay West facility on Midland Road. One of the primary focuses of my coverage while Joey is absent is the Bay City Commission, which has been taking steps in recent weeks to address the needs of its aging fire stations. Most recently, commissioners considered proposed plans to renovate or entirely replace Fire Station 5. The deteriorating station is 60 years old and has been closed since July 2024. Commissioners also recently considered the results of a community survey, which revealed residents’ top priorities. The highest priority listed by survey respondents was repairing local roads, while other top issues included the cost of city services and bridge tolls. Although I’m somewhat new to the area, I look forward to updating you about Bay City area news and spotlighting local issues as well as community members until Joey returns from paternity leave. Beyond my regular Bay County beat, I am always looking for additional stories to cover in the area. Story ideas can be sent to me via email at ntaylor@mlive.com.
