Despite threats and attacks, Peruvian journalist Manuel Calloquispe continues to cover environmental controversies, saying, “I decided that if I don’t do it, who else will do it?”

Environmental journalism danger commentary

ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISM DANGERS COMMENTARY: Environmental journalism can be a high-risk calling because reporting on such issues and uncovering corruption, illegality and abuse of power threatens the economic and political clout of dishonest and incompetent government officials and corporations. We hear first-person accounts from international and U.S. environmental journalists. Commentary for news and opinion sections. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.

Great Lakes authors bare their motives

GREAT LAKES AUTHORS: Books usually speak to readers through words and, sometimes, illustrations. But we can learn what motivated their authors by speaking directly to them,. Seven authors who wrote about Great Lakes environmental issues discuss the motivations and goals underlying their books. For news and feature sections. Edited by Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.

Water consumption drops in Great Lake cities, study finds

LESS WATER USE: A new study finds that residents of major Great Lakes cities, including Lansing, are using less water, a trend with economic, social and environmental implications. The relationship between per capita water use and socioeconomic factors such as income and race may prove significant as policy makers decide how to deal with inequities in distribution and affordability of water. Researchers are from the Great Lakes Commission, based in Ann Arbor, U-M and Wisconsin Sea Grant. While water use is dropping, rates and fees are rising at almost twice the rate of median household income, and water shut-offs are increasingly common. By Eric Freedman. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, PLANET DETROIT, DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Thumb counties hit by high colorectal cancer rates

CANCER: Residents of Huron, Sanilac and Tuscola counties in the Thumb have a disproportionately high rate of colorectal cancer, including a higher death rate, a new study finds. Risk factors include obesity, smoking, age and an “unhealthy food environment.” Elsewhere, the lowest rate was in Houghton County, followed by Emmet, Mason, Ottawa and Ontonagon counties, Wexford and Mecosta counties were among those with the lowest rates. The highest rate was in Montmorency County, followed by Clare, Gratiot, Oscoda and Osceola counties. Gogebic, Alger and Baraga counties were among those with the highest rates. Study done by MSU faculty and a Grand Rapids physician. By Eric Freedman. FOR CLARE, LUDINGTON, HOLLAND, WKTV, MONTMORENCY, MARQUETTE, CADILLAC, BIG RAPIDS, IRON MOUNTAIN, BAY MILLS AND ALL POINTS.

Coast Guard station in St. Clair Shores

Charter boat captain faces prison for unlicensed vessel

UNLICENSED BOAT: A Detroit man faces prison and a fine when sentenced early next year for violating a Coast Guard order to stop his illegal charter boat business on Lake St. Clair. On one occasion, investigators found an insufficient number of personal flotation devices aboard Benjamin Jones’s unlicensed 39-foot PWR TOWER, and on another occasion the vessel caught fire, its passengers were rescued and the boat had to be towed to shore. For news and outdoors sections. By Eric Freedman. FOR DETROIT AND ALL POINTS.

Asian tiger mosquito.

Disease-carrying mosquitoes moving north

MOSQUITOES: Two disease-transmitting mosquito species are heading northward into the coastal areas in the Great Lakes region due to climate change, a new study by EPA scientists warns, and they carry Zika, yellow fever and dengue. Storm surges are likely to become larger, making some places, including Detroit, more hospitable microhabitats for mosquito development. Meanwhile, warming temperatures have allowed the lone star tick to expand its territory northward, including into Southwest Michigan. By Eric Freedman FOR PLANET DETROIT, DETROIT, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS, HOLLAND, OCEANA COUNTY, LUDINGTON, TRAVERSE CITY, LEELANAU, PETSKEY, HARBOR SPRINGS, CHEBOYGAN, ALPENA, ALCONA, MONROE AND ALL POINTS.

Michigan Tech graduate student Shelby Lane-Clark checks on maple sap being collected to test for chemical differences in forests with different amounts of earthworms present

Invasive earthworms threaten hardwood forests in the Great Lakes region

EARTHWORMS: The lowly earthworm has lots to do with the health of Northern Michigan’s hardwood forests. “Exotic” – non-native – earthworms can have widespread and complex effects on individual trees and overall forest health, including causing dieback of sugar maples, say researchers from Michigan Technological University and their partners. All the earthworms that the researchers found in the Upper Peninsula, including tin he Hiawatha and Ottawa National Forests, as well as northern Wisconsin and eastern Minnesota are unwelcome invaders. By Eric Freedman FOR IRON MOUNTAIN, BAY MILLS, SAULT STE. MARIE, MARQUETTE, ST IGNACE, MICHIGAN FARM NEWS AND ALL POINTS.

Study: Nurses face ‘moral distress’ when patients lack insurance

NURSING ETHICS: Nurses are caught in the middle between professional ethics codes and constraints on treating patients who can’t afford medical care, a recent study says. Researchers who interviewed Michigan nurses concluded that such situations may cause “moral distress” that “places the profession of nursing in a position of moral compromise and threatens to corrupt the institution of nursing.” An MSU researcher and a Sparrow Hospital nurse discuss. By Eric Freedman. FOR LANSING CITY PULSE, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS AND ALL POINTS.

Journalists face news industry turbulence 

JOURNALISM COMMENTARY: These are tough times for journalists as traditional news outlet staffs shrink, news outlets cut coverage and media companies merge or close. Nonprofit start-ups are emerging but often struggle financially. There is a disturbing growth in public distrust of journalism’s commitment to democratic values of fairness, balance, ethics and accuracy. Even so, a new Pew Research Center study finds most journalists are satisfied with their work and hold more positive attitudes than the public about their reporting. At Michigan State, a record number of incoming journalism and digital storytelling majors enrolled this fall and student journalists nationally play a growing reporting role. Commentary for news and opinion pages. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.

Commentary: Lessons from the brink

HEALTH CARE COMMENTARY: There’s nothing like almost dying to wake you up to the multiple realities of America’s health care system. Lessons learned about inequalities in access to and affordably of health care. Commentary. By Eric Freedman. FOR ALL POINTS.