Dec. 6, 2013 CNS Budget

Dec. 6, 2013 – Week 14
To: CNS Editors
From: Eric Freedman & Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/. For technical problems, contact CNS tech manager Andrea Raby at rabyand1@msu.edu or 616-914-9670.
All articles ©2013, Capital News Service, Michigan State University School of Journalism. Nonmembers cannot reproduce CNS articles without written permission.
LAST REGULAR FILE OF THE FALL: This is your last regular weekly file.
BONUS WEEK AHEAD: As in the past, we’ll provide a bonus week file next Friday, Dec. 13, with a selection of still-timely stories you may not have had space for earlier. In addition, CNS subscribers still can use any of our archived stories, photos and graphics.
CNS IN THE SPRING: Dave Poulson will be at the helm of CNS in the spring semester, as he was in fall 2011, while Eric Freedman handles the environmental reporting course. Our 1^st file of 2014 will be Friday, Jan. 17.
HERE’S YOUR FILE:
WETLANDGAINS: A large gain in Michigan’s coastal wetlands between 2004-09 may obscure larger longer-term losses that are expected to continue due to development and changing lake levels. Among the most important wetlands in the Great Lakes region are Grand Traverse Bay, the Les Cheneaux Islands and the river mouth wetlands in Manistee County. Saginaw Bay is especially hard hit. We talk to DEQ, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and experts at Central Michigan University and MSU. By Matthew Hall. FOR MANISTEE, LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY, SAULT STE. MARIE, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, BAY MILLS, ALPENA, CADILLAC, HOLLAND, MACOMB & ALL POINTS.
MICHIGANWORKS: Manufacturers and technology, health care and skilled trade employers in Northwest Michigan and the Eastern U.P., like those elsewhere in the state, have difficulty hiring enough “middle-skilled” workers. That mirrors a national trend where demand exceeds supply for jobs requiring more than a high school diploma but less than a bachelor’s degree. By Justine McGuire. FOR TRAVERSE CITY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, CADILLAC, LUDINGTON, LAKE COUNTY, MANISTEE, HERALD REVIEW, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, PETOSKEY & ALL POINTS.
TYPHOONRELIEF: Americans are less generous in donating to relief efforts in typhoon-devastated Philippines than they were after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Relative distance may be a factor, says an official at the Red Cross’s Southeastern Michigan regional office. A Lowell resident and her relatives in Greenville and Ionia are  raising money by selling traditional Filipino dishes and other activities. By Becky McKendry. FOR MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, GREENVILLE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, DEADLINE DETROIT & ALL POINTS.
MASTERGARDENER: Volunteers across the state are being trained as Master Gardeners in preparation for community service projects such as rejuvenation of Belle Isle, gardening at the Kalamazoo County Jail and harvesting food for food banks, as well as answering the public’s questions. We talk to participants from Western Wayne County and Kalamazoo County groups.  By Becky McKendry. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, DEADLINE DETROIT, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.
TRANSPORTATION: A national study predicts that future air travelers will face even greater delays on holiday eves because airlines are reducing flights and cramming more people into the ones that remain, but officials at Detroit Metropolitan Airport and Gerald R. Ford International Airport say they’re not worried. By Lacee Shepard. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, GREENVILLE, MACOMB, ROYAL OAK, MICHIGAN CITIZEN, DEADLINE DETROIT & ALL POINTS.
GREENCHEMISTRY: Industry, universities and nonprofit groups are teaming up to make manufacturers’ use of chemicals more environmentally friendly. They include the Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, DEQ, Dow Chemical, Herman Miller, Steelcase, General Motors, Grand Valley, Michigan Tech, Wayne State, Kettering and MSU. By Matthew Hall. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, MARQUETTE, HOLLAND, DEADLINE DETROIT, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB, MICHIGAN CITIZEN & ALL POINTS.
ACCESSIBLEFOOD: The Michigan Food Policy Council says the state should increase access to healthy foods for more residents. An official of West Bloomfield-based Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers says Michigan should follow the lead of other states. By Lacee Shepard. FOR MICHIGAN CITIZEN, LANSING, ROYAL OAK, MACOMB, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.
ICE&MATH: Scientists have developed a technique that uses math to identify different types of ice on the Great Lakes in what could be a boon for the shipping industry, recreational boaters and the Coast Guard. A Sault Ste. Marie Coast Guard official and an Ann Arbor researcher explain. By Greg Monahan. FOR MARQUETTE, ST. IGNACE, SAULT STE. MARIE, BAY MILLS, CHEBOYGAN, PETOSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, LUDINGTON, ALPENA, ALCONA, MACOMB, LUDINGTON, MANISTEE, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS.
w/ICE&MATHPHOTO: Ice covers the Great Lakes. Credit: NASA  Earth Observatory.
CNS