Mar. 6, 2015 Budget

Capital News Service Budget – March 6, 2015
 
To: CNS Editors
 From: Perry Parks & Sheila Schimpf
http://news.jrn.msu.edu/capitalnewsservice/. For technical problems, contact CNS tech manager Tanya Voloshina (248-943-8979) voloshin@msu.edu.
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 NOTE TO EDITORS: CNS will NOT file next Friday, March 13, due to Spring Break. Please look over our recent budgets for relevant stories. Our next file will be Friday, March 20.
HERE’S YOUR FILE:
HUMANTRAFFICKING: Many signs of human trafficking are undetectable to the average person. Health care professionals are in a unique position to identify human trafficking while it is ongoing; but first they have to be trained in spotting and reporting it. A new law will do just that, and particularly aid rural counties whose smaller hospitals are often targeted by traffickers for their lack of experience in detection. We talk to lawmakers, the program director of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, and an expert in human trafficking. By Cheyna Roth. FOR GREENVILLE, BIG RAPIDS, LANSING CITY PULSE & ALL POINTS.
 PIPELINESUIT: A federal judge has allowed Enbridge Inc. to fully participate in a Sierra Club suit against the U.S. Forest Service. The environmental group contends the agency should be required to conduct an environmental review for renewal of a federal permit for an Enbridge oil pipeline through the Upper Peninsula and Northeast Lower Peninsula. The route goes under the Straits of Mackinac and Huron-Manistee National Forest. By Logan Clark. FOR MARQUETTE, BAY MILLS, ST. IGNACE, CHEBOYGAN, SAULT STE. MARIE, ALCONA, ALPENA, CADILLAC, CRAWFORD COUNTY, LAKE CITY & ALL POINTS.
w/PIPELINESUITMAP:  Line 5 pipeline route through Michigan. Credit: Enbridge Inc.
 SMALLBUSINESSES: Many of Michigan’s small businesses are expecting to hire more employees and increase wages. We speak with Michigan’s Small Business Development Center in Traverse City and the Small Business Association to hear about the needs of these businesses in the northwest region of Michigan and throughout the state. This year, two new programs are helping these businesses continue growing. By Elizabeth Ferguson. FOR GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS, TRAVERSE CITY, MANISTEE & ALL POINTS
 M-STEPTESTCONCERNS: Michigan is struggling to decide how best to assess its K-12 students. The Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, or M-STEP, is the state’s third test in as many years and the Michigan Education Department says its just a stopgap. The test was put together by the Department after the Michigan legislature scrapped plans to introduce the Smart Balance assessment. Parents and educators have been confused by the quick succession of assessments, with some choosing to ‘opt’ their child out of taking the test, but the MDE argues this could leave schools open to consequences. By Caitlin McArthur. FOR ALL POINTS.
 FEWERTEACHERS: Michigan and other states are seeing a dramatic drop in the number of students going into education. Increased criticism, focus on standardized testing, and more challenging testing and evaluation methods –including the controversial PRE test — have all contributed to a drop not only in the number of Michigan teachers, but also possibly to diversity in the teaching pool. With input from the state Department of Education, the Michigan Education Association, and teacher educators at Western Michigan and Michigan State universities. By Brooke Kansier. FOR THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND & ALL POINTS
 ACTTOSAT: Michigan educators are working to ensure a smooth transition to the SAT as the state-administered test for high school juniors next year. Challenges are expected at both the college and school district level as the SAT is creating an all-new examination for 2016. We look at some of these challenges, with input from educators in Ottawa County, state government, and Western Michigan and Michigan State universities. By Josh Thall. FOR BLISSFIELD, STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, HOLLAND, GRAND RAPIDS, LANSING CITY PULSE & ALL POINTS.
 EDUCATIONAPPOINTMENT: Co-workers of Ottawa Area Intermediate School District Superintendent Karen McPhee, appointed to serve as Gov. Rick Snyder’s senior policy adviser on education, say McPhee could be a game-changer in the role. Fellow administrators who have worked with McPhee for years discuss her strengths and what makes her right for the position. In addition we speak to the Michigan Department of Education to find out what goes into the process of choosing a senior adviser for the governor and why she was selected. By Josh Thall. FOR HOLLAND, LANSING & ALL POINTS.
 ASBESTOSCRIMINALS: Three defendants face prison after pleading guilty to mishandling asbestos at a decommissioned Southwest Michigan power plant. EPA and the U.S. Attorney’s office in Grand Rapids say it may be the largest asbestos release in Michigan since 1971. Workers at the Comstock Township facility were exposed to asbestos from pipe insulation while stripping out more than $1.7 million worth of recyclable materials. By Eric Freedman. FOR STURGIS, THREE RIVERS, GRAND RAPIDS BUSINESS & ALL POINTS.
 YACHTCLUB: The Grosse Pointe Yacht Club on Lake St. Clair has made it onto the National Register of Historic Places. The century-old institution was recognized for its architecture and its place in historic Grosse Pointe. By Chris Symons. FOR ALL POINTS.